Sea Cadets Festivals
MetroCentre, Gateshead and Chapelfield, Norwich
The Sea Cadets provide indoor and outdoor activities with a nautical flavour, develop teamwork, enterprise, respect and integrity; all of which are key elements in today’s broader educational processes. We are working with them to increase their profile leading to the recruitment of both cadets and adult volunteers.
We continue our support of the Sea Cadets reflecting the importance of their mission to encourage youngsters aged 10-18, from diverse backgrounds to, to realise their potential by learning a variety of skills in a structured environment.
Two-day events were held at two of our shopping centres, one over the weekend of 29/30 March 2008 at MetroCentre, Gateshead and the other over the weekend of 6/7 September 2008 at Chapelfield, Norwich. Both hosted a SeaCadetFest with events organised throughout the centre to give the opportunity for the cadets from the respective regions to come together as a team and display their skills to the public.
At both events, following the raising of the Colours each morning, regular marching band performances, hornpipe dancing and club swinging displays provided entertainment for the public whilst allowing the cadets the chance to prove their competence to a wide audience. A number of competitions and challenges were run during the weekends to enable shoppers to take part and give them an appreciation of the proficiency attained by the cadets. Displays were created to allow shoppers to learn first aid skills, how to tie knots important to seafarers and to rig a dinghy.
MetroCentre shoppers could test their climbing ability under supervision of the Royal Marine Commandos on a revolving climbing wall that could be positioned to test the skills/stamina of the timid to the over-confident! A test that proved very popular.
For the energetic Chapelfield visitors a rowing challenge was held in the malls with a prize on each day for the person rowing the greatest distance.
For the heroic, a sponsored abseil from the roof of the centre, operated by Royal Marine Commandos, raised funds for the local air ambulance, The Royal Marines Benevolent Fund and the Marine Society & Sea Cadets. Nearby, strength and stamina could be tested on a climbing tower under the supervision of The Royal Marines.
The intrepid were able to sample orienteering at a fun level with a route around the centre devised to make participants discover items of a Sea Cadet uniform hidden in numerous shop windows.
The gastronomic were invited to a field kitchen set up outside the centre to give the public a real flavour of field rations (surprisingly tasty is the general opinion!).
It is agreed among all those involved that the events proved a great success, with a lot of hard work on the part of staff from the shopping centres and Sea Cadet volunteers producing thoroughly professional displays, much appreciated by the wider public at both destinations over the respective weekends. We look forward to the continuing success of this important partnership reflecting the prime objective of encouraging young people, many from single parent families or deprived backgrounds, to take part in activities which are exciting, vibrant and aspirational as well as educational.
